Howard League: The unnecessary use of prison only exacerbates problems

Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said in response to Sadiq Khan’s speech:

“I welcome Sadiq Khan’s admission that Labour got their prison policy wrong. Sending more people to prison is nothing to be proud of and the unnecessary use of prison exacerbates problems rather than solving them.

“It is not possible to attribute the fall in recorded crime to the rise in the prison population. This period also saw greater investment in early intervention, sure start centres, health and education; all factors that contribute to reduced offending rates.

“The success of the rehabilitation revolution will be severely hindered by the massive cuts to the sector. Lots of small charities that produce excellent low reoffending rates will fold when these cuts come in. Sending fewer people to prison, and closing down prisons is the only way to free up money to be better invested elsewhere.”